Distant club members Gretchen and Al Beatty have given us permission to use their pictures and information for this month’s fly from their book How to tie LaFontaine’s Legacy Fly Patterns. There is also a video series of LaFontaine’s Legacy Fly Patterns. Their books, videos and some fly tying material are available on their website btsflyfishing.com.

This fly has a lot of steps, but it looks like a fun fly to tie. We are privileged to be allowed to copy all of Al’s tying steps and photos. The video will be from Volume 2 of the LaFontaine’s Legacy Series of videos, available on their website.

The following are the original and correct tying instructions for the Drop Nose Minnow.

Download tying instructions

Materials

• Hook: Size 2 to 10, 3x or 4x long streamer
• Thread: Black Woolly nylon and red sheer 14/0
  (Spotlight has black and white woolly nylon)
• Beads: Large silver behind small black
• Tail: Silver Krystal Flash
• Rear body: Orange Touch Dubbing
• Front body: White Phentex Craft Yarn
• Under-wing: White calf tail, Phentex yarn or white craft straw. Anything to support the wing.
• Wing: White marabou or EP soft fibres
• Over-wing: 4 strands green Krystal Flash doubled
• Gills/throat: Red yarn, combed

Tying Instructions

Step 1

Slip a small black and a large silver bead on the hook then mount it in the vise. Attach black tying thread at the back of the hook shank and trim off the waste end.

Step 2

Select a clump of silver Krystal Flash and tie it to the shank pointing to the rear of the hook. Trim the Krystal Flash to form a tail equal to the hook gape length.

Step 3

Wrap a large thread base at the back of the shank on which to place the eyes then whip-finish and trim it from the hook.  

Apply a couple of coats of glue to cover the thread base and the eyes. Allow each coat to dry before applying the next.

Step 4

Attach white tying thread in front of the eye assembly then trim the tag end. Select several strands of silver Krystal Flash and tie them to the hook.

Apply dubbing wax to the thread then “pat” orange Touch Dubbing to it. Form the thread into a dubbing loop and capture the Krystal Flash in it using a tool. Twist the tool/loop to form a Krystal Flash application with orange Antron highlights.

Wrap the Double Magic assembly over the back part of the hook to form that part of the body.

Step 5

Finish wrapping the back part of the body, tie it off, and trim the waste.

Select a segment of white Antron yarn and tie it to the front part of the hook (behind the beads). Wrap it forward almost all the way to the beads, tie it off, and trim away the excess. Be sure to leave room for the wing and the collar/throat assemblies.

Step 6

Clip a tuft of calf tail fibres, clean out the under fur, and place them in a hair stacker with the tips pointing down. Even the fibres and tie them to the hook to form an under wing long enough to reach the end of the tail. Trim off the waste ends

Step 7

Select a white marabou feather and strip the shorter fibres from the base of the stem. Tie it to the hook as an over wing equal in length to the calf tail placed in the last step.

Step 8

Cut a section of green Krystal Flash from the bundle and tie it to the hook as a wing topping.

Trim the Krystal Flash so the fibres are even with the rest of the wing assembly. Whip-finish the white thread and attached the red. Trim as needed.

Step 9

Separate one segment from a four-strand piece of red yarn and tie it to the hook between the wing and beads.

Wrap about three turns of the material and tie it off. Pull the excess yarn down and back then wrap several thread turns to force them to stay in that position. Whip-finish the thread.

Step 10

Trim the thread from the hook and cut the waste end of the yarn long to form the throat – I pulled it tight and cut it even with the end of the front part of the body. Use a fine-tooth comb (available from the Book Mailer) to fuzz out the throat fibres. I like rotating the vise a half turn to accomplish this task but it can easily be done without moving the fly; it’s your choice.

Source: Beatty, Gretchen; Beatty, Al. LaFontaine’s Legacy: How To Tie! Fly Patterns (Kindle Locations 621-624). GAB Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Both Robin Shenton and I have become great long-distance friends with Gretchen and Al. We have participated in many Zoom sessions, which can be viewed on YouTube.

Paul Fedeles

Retired telephone company executives, Al and Gretchen Beatty today enjoy running a family-owned business (BT’s Fly Fishing Products). Located in Boise, Idaho the two partners manufacture, distribute, operate a video production studio (fly fishing and tying, of course), write, and tie flies on a commercial basis. Both have been recognised for their contribution to the International Federation of Fly Fishers; Al (1999 Buz Buszek Award), Gretchen (2001 Woman of the Year), and Al (1994 Man of the Year).